Mining properties in Yukon's White Gold district changing hands

The Taku Gold Corporation purchased four Yukon properties from Golden Predator Mining Corporation this week.

Three of the properties are southwest of Dawson City in the White Gold district, and one, the 40 Mile project, is northwest of Dawson City.

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The president of Taku, Zachery Dingsdale, calls the purchases "strategic" since the largest of the sites, the Lucky Joe project, is beside a property the company already owns the Rose Butte project. Together the Lucky Joe-Rose Butte project is now just under 43,000 hectares.

It's one thing that sets the Yukon apart in the mining world according to Dingsdale:"You can amass a very, very large blockof claims, unlike anywhere else in Canada or North America."

He says Taku plans to start exploratory drilling in September.

Dingsdale is also encouraged by other activity in the White Gold district, notably Goldcorp Inc.'s plans to build a road from Dawson City to its Coffee project, passing through the Lucky Joe-Rose Butte project, he said.

Access roads and power are challenges when developing gold mines in the territory, and with big companies like Goldcorp putting money into the area, it will turn the White Gold district, "into a true mining region," said Dingdale.

Golden Predator to focus on Three Aces

Golden Predator, meanwhile, plans to focus on its Three Aces property in southeast Yukon, two and a half hours northeast of Watson Lake.

"There's not a lot of projects in Canada, let alone the world, where you have visible gold," said president Janet Lee-Sheriff.

The site already has an access road and Lee-Sheriff said the company is exploring the propertyby drilling, to determine the qualityand size of the gold veins.

Any mining would beyears away but the company is hopeful exploration will justify more development.

As for selling its other sites to Taku this week, Golden Predator calls the sales "non-core assets" and said it didn't know the potential of the Three Aces when it acquired the White Gold properties.But, Golden Predator isn't getting out of the White Gold district completely, it is still holding onto a few claims in the area.